Out of 5,000 people infected by Ebola in West Africa, 2,500 have died
of the virus, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday. To
combat the situation, the US announced it would send thousands of
military personnel to the region.

In a short speech given at the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), President Barack Obama announced what he called
"the largest international response in the history of the
CDC."

The president said that although the possibility of an
Ebola outbreak in the United States is "extremely low,"
the epidemic is "spiraling out of control" in West
Africa and requires a strong response.
“If outbreak doesn’t stop now, we could be looking at
hundreds of thousands of people being infected,” Obama said.

The president's statement echoed that of WHO Assistant Director
General Bruce Aylward, who earlier in the day said, "Quite frankly, ladies and
gentlemen, this health crisis we're facing is unparalleled in
modern times." Announcing the number of deaths and
people threatened by the virus, Aylward said, "we don't know where the numbers are
going on this."
Speaking at a news conference in Geneva, the WHO official said a
previous forecast of up to 20,000 cases "does not seem like a
lot today," adding that numbers can be kept in the "tens
of thousands" if there is a much faster response to the
outbreak....